Related

San Diego State President Elliot Hirshman said he's "very optimistic" about moving his football program to the Big East Conference next year despite lingering questions about the league's money and membership.

For example, what if the Big East’s new TV deal doesn’t meet financial expectations?

And what if Boise State decides not to join SDSU in the Big East next year as planned?

“If there is a material change in the situation, we’re going to have to look at all the details to make sure it works for everyone involved,” Hirshman said.

But even those two doomsday scenarios might not be enough to prevent SDSU from joining the Big East in July 2013.

In an interview with U-T San Diego, Hirshman said that even if the Big East’s new TV deal falls short of projections, the Big East still is likely to be much more lucrative than SDSU’s current TV deal in the Mountain West.

Meanwhile, SDSU can’t afford to turn down even a nickel of new revenue.

More state budget cuts are looming, forcing the athletic department to find new revenue sources to keep up. That’s a big reason why the Big East is “absolutely” important for SDSU, Hirshman said.

As for Boise State, Hirshman said he believes SDSU and the Big East still would have strong interest in each other even if the Broncos stayed in the Mountain West.

Hirshman answered questions on these issues as conference realignment continues to create uncertainty in college athletics:

--The money issue. SDSU football decided to move to Big East primarily because of a huge projected increase in TV revenue. The Aztecs expect to increase their annual TV revenue from about $1.2 million in the Mountain West to at least $6.4 million in the Big East, based on estimates from SDSU’s TV consultants. But what if those estimates are wrong and the real number comes in far lower?

“The way I would describe that in general terms is that this does have all the elements of a chess match in that each institution is trying to advance their athletic programs and academic programs, “ Hirshman said. “As different information comes in, we’re all going to be thinking about what we might do differently. We’ll have to evaluate that when it comes… if there are significant changes.”

Hirshman said the $6.4 million figure is the “most conservative estimate” SDSU received. Even if the deal is a few million less than that, it’s still likely to be worthwhile. Negotiations for the new Big East TV deal begin in September.

“While there is variability in some of the estimates, all the estimates continue to indicate a substantially greater number than is associated with our current Mountain West television contract,” Hirshman said.

--The Boise issue. Boise State planned to join SDSU next year as the only Big East football members west of the Rocky Mountains. But uncertainty surrounds the Broncos because they might not have a stable conference to place their non-football sports.